5 reasons the Boston Celtics should keep the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft

4. Fultz and IT can play together

Fultz is clearly the top prospect here, and his NBA future is tantalizing, but one of the larger obstacles to this potential draft union seems to be the simple fact that Beantown is already overloaded with guards.

From Isaiah Thomas to Avery Bradley to Marcus Smart to even Terry Rozier, the Celtics have a nucleus of young talent to groom in the backcourt. IT is coming off a career year as the heart and soul of thie Celtics, leading the winningest team in the East with 28.9 points and 5.9 assists per game.

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Bradley was one of the best two-way players in the league at his position, shooting 39 percent from long range and playing some of the most underrated defense at the 2-spot in the NBA. Smart is a versatile bulldog who can guard nearly every position and makes up for his subpar shooting numbers as something of a mini-Draymond Green who can do it all.

Even if you completely discount Rozier’s flashes of progress, there are only so many minutes to go around. With IT hitting unrestricted free agency in 2018, drafting a point guard has some concerned that Fultz is really auditioning for the replacement role as soon as his rookie year begins.

If the Celtics aren’t going to trade the pick in order to place another superstar alongside Thomas and make a real run at the Eastern belt, it’s logical to wonder if IT’s days in Boston are numbered, especially if the C’s fall short in the playoffs again. Trading Thomas might be preferable to overpaying for a 29-year-old defensive sieve, especially if the Cavs run away with the East again.

Much of this depends on Fultz’s development on the defensive side of the ball, but even if the rookie’s arrival starts the clock counting down IT’s time on Beantown, having a mentor and fellow Washington Husky like Thomas for even a year would do the 19-year-old a great deal of good.

However, this Fultz-Thomas situation doesn’t have to be a Harry Potter-Voldemort situation; the two can co-exist together in the same world, even if the Celtics re-sign IT for the long haul next summer.

Although Fultz rarely looked engaged on the defensive end in college, that may have been a product of his environment. He has the size to play either spot in the backcourt and the athleticism to at least be competent on that end down the road.

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If anything, Bradley looks like the more expendable piece, since he will also be an unrestricted free agent in 2018 (Smart will be a restricted free agent that summer as well).

After being disgruntled with his bargain of a contract extension, Bradley is due for a large payday. Even the importance of covering for IT’s shortcomings on the defensive end may not prevent Boston from letting him depart for greener pastures than Celtics green.

Either way though, there should be no rushing this decision. Ainge has at least a year to see how Thomas, Fultz, Bradley, Smart and even Rozier all function together in the same backcourt, but due to the positional versatility of this year’s likely No. 1 pick, there’s got to be some combination of guards that will work well together in Boston.